Hamelyn's Curse

Prologue

Hidden from view by a wooded copse and only reachable by a brisk walk. Along a muddy bridleway. The crumbling remnants of Minsden Circle had teetered. On the edge of the cliffs. Since before the oldest Grandsire of the oldest Grandsire had been born. It was said the place had once witnessed an evil so terrible. The Catholic Church has declared it and the Druid Grove. It sat in - forbidden land. Such was the reputation of the place. Most people never ventured near. The few that had said. They'd heard music. A slow sinister piping. That thickened the air around them and chilled their marrow.

Chapter Nine

Across town Megan was working with the local Coroner. Next to the body of Amy Jarvin the Grand-daughter of the Sheriff. There now lay another two corpses. All three were in an advanced state of decomposition. That was at odds with the amount of time. They'd been laying exposed to the elements. Megan was prepping the first body for Autopsy. When a peculiar mark on Amy's neck caught her attention. She called her colleague over. To take a look. He grabbed a strong magnifying glass and held it over the wound. It was about two and a half centimetres wide and completely round with a smaller half centimetre circle within it.

"What on Earth could have caused that?" The male Coroner wondered aloud.

"I have never seen anything like it," Megan replied "But I'm guessing? It was the means by which the body was exsanguinated."

"If that were true? There would be signs of blood around the inner scar. But this is completely clean. It's bizarre!"

"So was the crime scene," Megan remarked. There wasn't a drop anywhere."

"Which implies it was a dump site and your team have yet to find the Primary." the male said. Megan had already voiced this opinion to Don. So he already knew. There was another murder site and Megan inwardly groaned. Probably more bodies. She turned her attention to the other two bodies. Sure enough there were identical marks on their necks too. Megan shivered as the man. She was working with casually joked.

"Maybe your perp is a one fanged Vampire!" Megan thought the joke was in very poor taste. But didn't say anything. She knew a great many Coroners and Medical Examiners, developed a warped sense of humour. To cope with the horrors. They were often called upon to investigate. Instead she carefully photographed the marks and then uploaded them To her computer To add to the evidence Database. It was just possible that the mark had been seen and noted before.

David had a quick flick through the file. Don had given him. Just to make sure all the pictures were numbered and in order. Fortunately they were. So he laid them out across the desk. Colby moved around the table to his side so he could view them. The right way up. David pulled up a second chair and the pair sat down.

"Now the first thing to remember," began. "Is that Crime Scene Photography should not just focus on the obvious? The purpose of CSP is to document. What is there and where it is in relationship to the incident. It is not for the photographer to decide. Whether it is connected to the crime or not. That is the job of the actual detectives or in this case us."

He then directed Colby 's gaze to the picture labelled as number one. There wasn't much in it. It just seemed to be a photograph of a dirt track fringed by some thorny bushes.

"Okay! What do you see?" Colby pulled a face and shrugged.

"Not much!" he admitted. "It just looks like a farm road to me."

"So nothing catches your eye then?" Colby peered closer

"Eh! There's some sort of toy hanging off. One of those plants and is that a footprint?" He tapped the picture in two separate places. David hadn't actually spotted the footprint. He slid the photo into a scanner linked to a computer and got the picture up on a monitor. Where he could enhance the area spotted by Colby. The imprint was faint but it was visible. Knowing time was of the essence and that the print. Had been caught by accident as no yellow tile lay beside it. David yelled to Don. He strode over and looked at the Plasma then frowned. How could the trained CSUs from Quantico have missed it?

"That area was designated to the Locals," David said softly "Way out here. Chances are they haven't been trained as well as a City Cop."

"Tell me about it," growled Don. "The place wasn't even securely taped off. When we arrived? There's press and tourists running amok all over the place. We'll be lucky if we find any Evidence at all?" A few seconds later he used the FBI Satellite Radio. To instruct the CSU Supervisor. To get some of his people across to the dirt road. Hopefully they would be in time to take a cast of the print. Fortunately that area hadn't been walked over. So not only were the CSUs able to get a cast of the foot print. They also bagged the small toy Colby had noticed. It transpired that it came from a satchel Carried by one of the other missing children. Which meant some of the lost had made it away from the main picnic area. Although where they had been taken was still a mystery. As was the Primary Murder site. Don was anxious to find this? It could lead the investigators? To the other kids. There was a slim chance some might still be alive.

TBC